


When a boy slips away

by kaltenecker_the_cow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender, Voltron: Lion Voltron
Genre: ??? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), But he hates Lotor though, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Cuz Keith doeasnt know, Depressed Lance (Voltron), Drama & Romance, Everybody hates lotor, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Happy Ending, Jealous Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance is in agony bitch, Lotor's a lil fake bitch, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith/Lance (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Roommates, So Keith and Lotor kinda date, They end up fucking tho, They luv eachother, What tf he's doing, and they were ROOMMATES, but - Freeform, have i mentioned, klance, no smut here, not really - Freeform, sorry fellow sinners, they gon get married, uwu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-07-06 11:41:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15885330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaltenecker_the_cow/pseuds/kaltenecker_the_cow
Summary: Lance and Keith have been best friends for as long as they can remember. They complete eachother, platonically. But of course, Lance has to go and ruin that with his stupid feelings. After an unintentionally romantic night at the park, Lance finds it even harder to cope with his unrequired crush on his roommate. As if to make it worse, Keith begins dating his manager, Lotor. What is even wierder is the fact that Keith has hated Lotor even since he startet his shitty job. Wierd huh? Or maybe it's just Lance...-or-I love you.I love you.I love you.I-"I love you"Lance covered his mouth. But surprisingly, he wasn't the one to say the words out loud.He couldn't comprehend what was happening. Had keith just-?All the air left his lungs and made his lips and tongue feel dry. Ironically reminding him how thirsty he was for the boy infront of him.He lifted his body from the half laying position and sat up straight, now breaking eye contact."WHAT?" He managed to choke out."L-like a best friend of course" Keith's voice cracked. "You know, you're my best friend. I love you"





	1. Holy fucking shit

Lance sat quietly in his daily bus which rode him swiftly through the city. It was finally friday, and he couldn't wait to come home and collapse on the couch. He was examining the old tiny photo in his wallet. The edges were so worn that the ink had fallen off here and there. Still, the two young boys in the picture smiled brightly at him. One a bit more shyly than the other.

He still remembered the day it had been taken. On his first day of school, Lance had been eager and excited to meet new friends. It didn't take long for him to find a group of kids who followed him around on the playground and listened to his halfway made-up stories. It was great. Until another grumpy boy with a ridiculous amount of hair on his head showed up and ruined the mood.

He had said Lance was "too loud" and "awfully obnoxious". It didn't matter that Lance wasn't sure what the word meant at the time, he hated it. And he definitely hated Keef. It took the boys a total of two recesses to get into a fistfight.

Keith wound up with a broken and bloody nose, and Lance went home with a huge black eye. They were inseparable ever since.

Sitting on the bus on his way home now, Lance couldn't help but smile at the dumb photo of two bruised first-graders who wouldn't have expected how far life could carry them together. Almost 16 years. He couldn't really comprehend it. And still Lance got to see his favorite person every day without getting bored of him, or vice versa.

Soon enough his bus stop appeared and Lance stepped out into the late October afternoon. Holding his bag under his arm, he paced through the neighbor's yard which was strictly forbidden to walk over, and climbed overtop a small fence that separated the beautiful garden from the rest of the neglected city.

Thanks to the shortcut, Lance got to his building in record time before taking the stairs to the second floor and stopping before his door. He dried his muddy shoes on the doormat and smiled stupidly at the text written on it.

_Welcome to Mothman's layer_

As Halloween was right behind the corner, Keith had gotten it for half the price in the walmart he worked in. That was the most thrilled Lance had ever seen him come home from work. It was a blessing.

Lance opened the door with a swing and stepped into their shared apartment.

"Honey, I'm home" He sang and threw his bag over the counter.

The image he was greeted with was Keith lying on their living room couch with doritos stabled on his chest and nose buried in the mess.

"Fuck you" He mumbled from under his mountain of chips.

"Looks like someone's on their period today" Lance scoffed and walked over, taking a handful of snacks and earning a smack on his hand.

"What's for dinner?" He then added.

Keith stretched his arms above his head, making a few crumbs fall on the floor.

"I was planning on ordering pizza, but then I remembered that would force me to engage in a social interaction"

"Pussy" Lance poked his belly and walked over to his work bag.

He could hear Keith grumble behind him. Pulling out a McDonald's takeout bag he spun around on his heel and skipped out of their open kitchen.

"Lucky for you, I am here to fulfill your deepest desires" At the sight of fast food, Keith moaned and sat up from the couch.

"You are surreal. I want to have your babies" He sighed and breathed in the smell, taking the bag from Lance's hands.

"Anything for you baby girl" Lance tugged at Keith's ponytail and walked past him pulling out two chairs by the kitchen table.

He didn't need to turn around to know that Keith was frowning at him. Still, he heard something by the lines of "Fucking dick" being mumbled behind his back and smirked satisfied.

They ate eagerly for a while before Lance spoke up again.

"So how was work today?" Keith used a few seconds to chew and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before talking.

"Today was extraordinarily terrible" he smiled.

"Was it Loto-"

" _Fucking_ Lotor"

That bitch thinks he's a damn prince or something" Lance had heard that line several times before.

He nodded, took a bite of his burger and continued listening.

"Some outstanding idiot decided to spraypaint 'Trump is a giant cocksucker' on the bathroom stalls - to which I can't disagree, but did he have to express his thoughts in walmart?- and then guess who this bitch assigned to clean it up?" Keith aggressively shoved a couple of fries in his mouth.

"That sucks" Lance pouted, taking a sip from his coke.

"You should, like, get promoted or something. For all the shit you do"

"And I thought College was hell" Keith wiped his eyes, careful not to smudge his eyeliner.

Makeup was something he had done since middle school. Not long after Lance's acne began breaking out, his sister Veronica showed him the magic of how foundation and concealer could hide blemishes. He was into it for a while before he got a hold of a skincare routine and his perfect skin needed makeup no more.

He and Veronica had then forced Keith to try putting some makeup on his face, and ever since that day, Sephora had been Keith's second best friend and he wouldn't go anywhere outside of their apartment without at least eyeliner on.

Lance couldn't lie, that might have been the beginning of his bi awakening.

"And he keeps flirting with me and Allura" Keith complained. "But not the way you flirt though, he's so inappropriate it's making everyone feel uncomfortable"

"That asshole" Lance gasped "He should have known by now that Allura and I have a thing"

That earned him a slap on the back of his head, but he chuckled regardless.

"Kidding" He smirked. "But speaking of Allura..."

He tried lightening the mood. Curiously Keith looked at him again with raised eyebrows.

"Our costumes are almost done" Lance proudly grinned and handed him his phone with a photo of Allura working on their matching halloween costumes.

Keith's face immediately dropped. "we're gonna look fucking stupid"

Lance faked a gasp, knowing very well that Keith hated this year's theme. Keith gave him a death glare which made Lance's lips curve.

"You know the drill honey, it's my time to shine" He smirked. Keith groaned and crossed his arms, but didn't complain anymore.

They  _always_ wore matching costumes for halloween. Ever since Keith had shown up at Lance's house with a 'this is my costume' shirt and plain ripped jeans, Lance had denied him the right to not be enthusiastic about the holiday. They would take turns every year deciding what the theme would be and forced the other to match with them, picking out the perfect outfit.

This far they'd been through slutty Grim reapers, emo transformers, vegetables, a sexy priest and nun, Shrek and Fiona, Britney Spears haters (Much to Lance's displeasure) and many other ridiculous ideas. Every year they found something that would embarrass the other more, and so far, Lance was winning. That may or may not have been because he had absolutely no shame.

This year though, he couldn't be prouder of himself. He was brilliant, and Keith hated him for it.

"We'll look fabulous, especially you" He poked Keith's cheek and smiled pleased with himself.

Keith dropped his head to the table and groaned.

"Kill me"

Lance examined the way his hair fell to the wooden surface and brought out his light skin color. Lance had touched those raven locks enough times to know how soft they felt. After a few silent moments, an idea popped up in Lance's head, looking at the tired Keith in front of him.

"Hey, we should take the night off" He suggested a bit more shyly than he'd like to.

Curiously Keith turned his head enough to look at Lance from underneath his bangs while still lying on the table.

"What do you mean?"

"We've been working our asses off for the past weeks without a proper break, we should do something this weekend... or just today, and then go back to watching netflix and being lazy until monday"

Keith hummed and stretched his arms. "What do you want to do?"

"Um..." Lance hadn't thought this far 

"Maybe a picnic? We could go to the park?" he suggested having to turn his face out of fear that he'd start blushing.

"You do realize it's freezing outside right?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

Immediately Lance regretted asking.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid..._

"O-oh yeah... heh, never mind then-"

"Okay let's go"

Caught off guard, Lance stared at Keith.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, when have we ever made a good desition?" Keith smiled warmly, forcing Lance's face to light up.

"Right. I'll pack some stuff!" Lance quickly jumped of off his chair and marched into the kitchen with a big smile glued to his face.

Taking out the bread he began making sandwiches as quickly as he could. He and Keith hadn't gone out anywhere to have fun in such a long time Lance almost started believing they were actual adults. Lance's coworker and trusted friend, Hunk, had been planning on proposing to his girlfriend for the past 5 months. He had asked Keith and Lance to help out, and who were they to say no? For months they were planning the perfect proposal, and soon they'd get to show off their work.

Still, using their spare time to plan and run errands for Hunk (so that his girlfriend wouldn't get suspicious) wasn't the ideal activity. Keith could confirm that Lance was a sappy romantic, but even he needed a break sometimes.

And if the break meant spending time with Keith on a could-have-been-date-in-a-different-reality, then he was more than up for it.

"Do we have any wine?" Keith asked form somewhere else in the apartment.

"Um... we may have some cheap vodka" Lance grimaced grabbing a couple of sandwiches.

There was silence.

"That'll do" Keith gave a short answer, and for some reason, Lance's smile widened even more.

 

 

 

 

They sat on three layers of blankets in the wet grass somewhere in their local park. The sun was already setting and they were hidden between some trees taking shots and eating dry sandwiches. It was so cheap and terrible that Lance couldn't have been happier.

"There was this cute old couple in the restaurant today, and the guy kept telling me how it was his beautiful wife's seventy-first birthday while ordering," Lance said while laying on his back a bit tipsy.

"That's nice" Keith simply replied and laid down next to him.

"It's rare, you know... finding someone you can spend your life with without getting tired of each other" Lance sighed.

Keith didn't reply to that, only picked up a pebble and threw it off somewhere in the distance.

"Id like to have that..." Lance closed his eyes.

"Getting tired of me so quickly?" Keith chuckled.

Lance's eyes shot open and he raised himself from the ground on his elbow.

"No! No that's not what I ment- I, you know..."

But Keith only laughed.

"Joking"

His face scrunched up the way it always did when he was too relaxed to stop himself from laughing. Those moments where he forgot to hold his facade. His thin lips stretched to the sides, showing off a row of white teeth and his eyes struggled to stay open as he shook his shoulders happily.

He was _Beautiful_.

"You're so ugly" Lance scoffed.

That only made Keith tilt his head to the side, still smiling.

"But you keep staring" He smirked.

"Ha! In your dreams mullet," Lance laid down with a huff, totally not blushing.

 

A moment passed and Lance was once again left alone to his thoughts.

"You think I'll ever have one?" He said quietly.

"What, a mullet?" Keith asked in his monotone voice.

"No, you frying pan!" Lance smacked his head, earning a snicker. 

"Like a- you know- a person... like that"

"What are you talking about?" Keith furrowed his brows, but quickly caught on and sighed in understanding.

"Of course you will" He said as if it was obvious.As if there was no other option.

Lance bit his lip and stared at the orange sky above them, if he tried really hard, he could make out some stars already.

"But think about it, every person I've dated thus far hasn't been the right one, and most of the time- it's my fault. I mean, I try really hard but-"

"Stop that" Keith cut him off with a serious tone. He sounded mad. "Let's go through the list of your dates"

He heard Keith shifting on the blanket and did the same to face him.

"Nyma" Keith lifted one finger.

"She used you to get back at her jealous ex-boyfriend and you ended up being threatened and followed by some jerks. Was that your fault?"

Lance shyly shook his head. Keith raised another finger.

"What was her name? That chick from the coffee shop" Keith's eyebrows drew together.

"Emilia?" Lance suggested.

"Emilia. She dragged you along for shopping every week and made you pay for everything. Then she dumped you when you told her you couldn't afford a ring she wanted"

"To be fair, I  _had_ promised her that ring"

Keith groaned frustrated.

"But you didn't owe her anything! So was it your fault?"

"No..."

"No! Exactly"

Their eyes locked and Lance held his breath.

"Then there was Brad," Keith said more softly. For some reason this made Lance smile.

"Brad was an asshole" He admitted, which made Keith chuckle.

"He really was"

And that was enough to make them both smile from ear to ear.

"You've just had really bad luck" Keith's voice was quiet, just above whisper

"Thanks... Keith"

Keith nodded, keeping their eye contact.

"And..." His cheeks were covered with a light blush, but Lance wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the few inches between their faces talking. He really hoped for the latter. They were so close Lance could feel Keith's breath on his face. Both of them were no longer laying on the blanket, but sitting halfway up, leaning on their elbows in an almost awkward position. For anyone unlucky enough to pass by and see them, it might even have seemed like a heated date.

"Whoever fucks you over next, you know I'll be here. M'not planning on going anywhere" Keith's hoarse voice was quiet when he murmured. As if he only meant those words for Lance. Like only he was allowed to hear them.

Lance felt his own face heating up.

"You better not," he whispered back.

He felt that maybe staring into Keith's eyes for so long did no longer classify as normal bro behavior, but sue him. He couldn't break the eye contact if he wanted to, and he really didn't.

Keith wasn't moving either, and Lance was going to hold onto this moment as long as he could. With the boy's fond eyes and big shiny pupils. His perfect nose and sharp jaw. The soft hair that fell over his pale skin. Fuck, Lance was in deep.

He loved Keith. He loved him so, so much. And those words wouldn't leave his head. He had them at the tip of his tongue. Forcing them not to spill and ruin everything he had been holding so tightly onto for the past three years.

I love you.

I _love_ you.

I _love you._

I-

"I love you"

Lance covered his mouth. But surprisingly, he wasn't the one to say the words out loud. Though he almost thought he had, judging by the softness of Keith's voice when he opened his mouth.

Lance's face went slack and eyes shot open.

Was this really happening? Had Keith just- No no, what? He couldn't comprehend the situation.

He felt like his brain couldn't function properly.

All the air left his lungs and made his lips and tongue feel dry. Ironically reminding him how thirsty he was for the boy infront of him.

He lifted his body from the half laying position and sat up straight (heh), now breaking eye contact.

 _"What?"_ He managed to choke out. And it sounded more judgingly than he wanted it to, but he couldn't help it.

All his brain could provide at the moment was an endless loop of KEITH LIKES ME, KEITH LIKES ME, KEITH LIKES ME.

"L-like a best friend of course" Keith's voice cracked. "You know, you're my best friend. I love you"

Suddenly all the butterflies disappeared.

Lance's stomach sank with the biggest disappointment he had ever experienced. His posture dropped.

"Oh... yeah, yeah" He swallowed.

"Jesus, what did you think I meant" Keith laughed nervously, not the same sincere way as before.

"You looked mortified"

Well maybe because you gave me a heart attack, Lance though.

A sad feeling ripped through the remaining pieces of his euphoria. He wanted to smile back. But he couldn't force the muscles in his face to do that right now. It felt heavy.

Don't cry, he mentally slapped himself.

An awkward silence settled between them.

"Um... maybe we should go, the blankets are soaking through" Keith pointed out.

Were they? Lance hadn't noticed. But true to Keith's word, the ground under him was wet now.

Lance nodded.

 

 

 

**StraightAsADick: HUNK!!jwfJHPNPFOMmHNYDOFyuedgpeg**

BabyBoi: Do tell, my friend.

**StraightAsADick: Keith.**

**StraightAsADick: Thats al u need 2 kno**

BabyBoi: What did he do this time?

**StraightAsADick: qwdhnUINYFBNpeeflf2udw73ee**

BabyBoi: So I understand that this isn't a meltdown suited for texting??

**StraightAsADick: Bish u have no idea**

BabyBoi: My place at 10?

**StraightAsADick: Actually Im already on my way**

BabyBoi: Say no more. 

 

 

 

Lance laid face down on Hunk's living room floor. A blanket was covering him while his face was buried in the fluffy carpet.

Every now and then he would let out whining sounds or quiet groans.

"It couldn't be that bad" Hunk bent over and laid a cup of tea next to Lance's face.

"I don't think you understand Hunk. I was the happiest man in the world for a total of thirty seconds before he broke my heart into a million pieces" Lance whined dramatically and blew into his hot tea.

"Come on, he didn't deny that you couldn't be  _more_ than his best friend" Hunk wiggled his eyebrows.

He was sitting on the bright yellow sofa which Lance found ridiculously comfortable, but the floor seemed to be the perfect place for Lance's empty soul and body at the moment.

"Did he mention anything about it when you came home yesterday?"

"No" Lance groaned, "We didn't talk at all, and it's all my fault for- you know- making it awkward"

He took a sip of his tea. It burned his tongue. He deserved it.

"He probably hates me now"

As those words left his mouth, the apartment door opened with a cracking sound and Shay appeared with groceries under her arms.

"Shay" Hunk's face immediately lit up and he skipped through the living room to give her a kiss. Her sunflower dress matched the rest of their warm apartment with an orange color scheme and decor. She smiled brightly at Hunk before noticing Lance on their floor.

"Hi Shay," Lance sighed with a high pitched voice and a pout on his face. "You look cute today"

"Thank you Lance, it's nice to see you again" She replied with a soft singing voice.

Lance really liked Shay. She and Hunk were practically soulmates.

Soon Hunk appeared behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She giggled as he kissed her cheek.

"You hold onto that woman, buddy. Love is such a fragile thing these days" Lance cried and let his face hit the carpet again.

"Oh no, is it Keith again?" Shay asked with a concerned voice.

"He told Lance that he loved him" Hunk replied.

"Oh my gosh, that's great!"

"As a friend"

"Oh no..."

Lance felt a hand pat his head.

"You're doing great honey" Shay murmured.

And Lance knew she was just being nice because he was currently laying pathetically on the floor and whining like a baby. But surprisingly that was what it took for him to sit up and get himself together. He sipped his tea still wrapped up in a blanket.

"But I mean, maybe he was actually planning on confessing but freaked out" Hunk tried comforting him. "You know how Keith is with people"

"Hah, nice one buddy, but I think it's time to face that Keith doesn't like me like that" Lance sneezed.

"And now I have a cold too" He cried.

Hunk and Shay shared an unimpressed look.

"Lance, you two were literally calling each other babe last time I came by"

"It's an inside joke, HUNK" Lance shrieked.

"No, a bad excuse is what it is" Hunk frowned and crossed his arms.

"You're dumb" Lance huffed and took another sip of his tea.

"It does seem like he likes you" Shay smiled sympathetically.

"Shay, you are an angel, but even you can't fix the broken pieces of my heart"

Shay gave him a side hug. They chatted for a while before Lance's phone made a sound.

 

 

_GayConfusion666: Where tf are you????_

 

 

"Who is it?" Hunk asked from the kitchen where he was currently making Shay tea.

"The love of my life" Lance sighed and began typing.

 

 

**StraightAsADick: Hunks place**

**StraightAsADick: Waddup**

_GayConfusion666: I'm dying,,,,_

**SraightAsADick: U got a cold too??**

_GayConfusion666: Ya and I blame you for this_

_GayConfusion666: Bring me noodles or I'll cut up your salad lady collection_

**StraightAsADick: *Offended gasp***

**StraightAsADick: U wouldnt dare**

 

 

The salad lady collection was a bunch of stock photos of women who laughed at their salads. Keith hated them ("What's so funny about women laughing at food?" he once had said), but Lance found them hilarious and so he printed them, framed them and hung them on their living room wall.

 

 

_GayConfusion666 |sent a photo|_

 

 

Lance opened the picture of a very dissatisfied Keith with a red nose, bags under his eyes and a kitchen knife pointed at one of the photos.

 

**StraightAsADick: You brute, not emily.**

**StraightAsADick: Ramen or soba?**

_GayConfusion666: (:_

_GayConfusion666: Ramen._

 

Lance smiled at his screen and tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"Thanks for tolerating me" he stretched his arms above his head and stood up.

"But my husband's needy"

"Any time" Shay smiled warmly and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Lance pretended to swoon.

After hitting the nearest grocery store, Lance came back to his apartment taking his usual shortcut. The weather was colder than it had been yesterday, and his leaking nose reminded him not to plan any spontaneous visits to the park anytime soon.

He swung the door open like always.

"Honey, I'm home" He sang with a hoarse voice.

Keith didn't answer though and Lance had to search the apartment for him after taking off his shoes. He found him in his own room. Covered in blankets and pillows, sniffling angrily.

"I'm dyin'..." He whimpered without opening his eyes.

"When did you wake up?" Lance asked while carefully placing a bowl of ramen on the nightstand and taking a seat on the bed.

Lance had left in the morning to hang out at Hunk's place, careful not to wake Keith up. But now he regretted it now, seeing how badly Keith was looking.

"I don't know, an hour ago?" Lance placed a hand on his forehead and frowned.

"You're burning up" He murmured. "Definitely a fever"

Keith groaned and threw his head back.

"God is a coward for not killing me in a normal way"

"Like what?"

"Cancer"

"Jesus" Lance scoffed.

"That's his son, yeah" Keith grumbled in a low voice that would usually give Lance goosebumps, but at the current circumstances he couldn't help but smile.

"You'll be fine you big baby" Lance chuckled. "Now let's take some of these layers off"

Keith complied and let Lance take some of the blankets off of him. Lance would never admit it, but he loved taking care of Keith when he was sick. He did turn into a whiny mess, but at least he was less stubborn. Soon Keith was sitting curled up on the edge of his bed, happily eating ramen. Lance reached for one of the tissues lying around and blew his nose.

"Oh... you're sick too?" Keith asked so innocently that it made Lance's heart ache.

"Yeah, but not as bad as you though" He shrugged.

Keith frowned, and was that a pout? Jesus, Lance had to get a grip.

"Come here you idiot" Keith huffed and threw a blanket over Lance.

"Ew, keep your germs to yourself" Lance shrieked. Keith smirked tiredly.

"It doesn't matter when we're both sick. Take care of yourself dumbass, you look like shit"

Lance would protest, throw a mean comment back, or boast about his good looks. But at that moment, he decided to just let himself enjoy being snuggled up to Keith for the rest of the day. Just until he wasn't sick anymore. Just until he would have no reason to. And then he'd start moving on. He'd get over this hopeless crush once and for all. He'd take as much as he could, which was friendship. And he would learn to be okay with that. Okay with looking at a smiling Keith and knowing he already was the luckiest person alive, getting to see him every day.

But just not today.

Today Lance would pity himself while he held the man that could never be his in his arms. And so he did.

He and Keith stayed together in bed all day. Playing games, complaining about headaches, watching netflix and eventually falling asleep. So maybe the next day, Lance would be content with that.

 

 

 

 

He wasn't.

Lance was standing in the kitchen, making a poor excuse of a breakfast out of what they had in the fridge. Yogurt, dry bread, and grapes. That would do. He wasn't picky.

What he wasn't prepared for though, was a sleepy Keith standing in the doorway of his room.

Entering the living room with an oversized sweater he had gotten from Shiro, and boxers. Not that he and Lance hadn't seen each other much more naked in the locker room after gym practices at high school. And even now, sometimes they'd walk around in just their boxers in the apartment. it was no big deal, nothing new.

And still, Lance's heart somehow jumped to his throat and made him choke on his own spit.

Keith's hair looked messy, cute, _sexy_ , as if somebody had run their hands through those locks and messed them up.

Lance struggled to find the most fitting adjective.

"Are you making toast?" Keith yawned.

It took Lance a lot of effort to even process those words and make them into a logical question in his head.

"Um... yeah, no. No, sorry." Keith lifted an eyebrow in confusion. Lance swallowed and looked at the food to avoid eye contact.

"This is probably the most depressing meal I've ever seen" Keith winced and stole Lance's yogurt.

"Hey!" He managed to say without breaking down. Keith only smirked and stuck his tongue out.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, _fuck, fuckfuckfuckFUCKFUCK_ -

"I'm feeling better today. What about you?" Keith asked while walking off to the living room with Lance's meal and a spoon in hand.

"I- I, yeah..."

"You sure? Because you don't sound very well" He heard Keith say, but he had already turned away to hide his blush.

"Yup" He assured.

"Well... okay," Keith hesitated before adding "I have a date today, so..."

Lance's eyes shot open.

He forgot the flush on his face and all the embarrassment. He whipped his head around to find Keith looking at him.

"A date...?" Lance tried to sound indifferent, but feard he didn't get the result he desired.

Keith stood still and eyed Lance carefully.

Lance swallowed his feelings and leaned across the island separating their kitchen from the living room.

"My my, who is the lucky guy?" He smirked.

Keith took a spoonful of yogurt into his mouth and licked the spoon.

"I'm not sure if I want to tell you yet, but he texted me when you were at Hunk's place. Today I told him that I felt better and..." Keith shrugged.

Lance's jaw fell dramatically. "What do you mean you don't want to tell me?!" He huffed and crossed his arms.

Keith rolled his eyes and waved his spoon in a circle.

"Let's just say you won't like him" 

Lance gasped.

"Now you  _have_ to tell me"

He jumped over the island, supporting his body with one arm and possibly knocking over a few cups. He met Keith with a smirk and was greeted with a groan as Keith threw his head back.

"You are such a slut for gossip" But Lance was already dragging him off to the couch.

They sat down crosslegged like a pair of teenage girls on a sleepover.

"I don't even get why you're so thrilled when I just told you that you won't like him" Keith complained.

"Is he like, the bad boy type?" Lance asked smiling like a puppy, as his mama would say. "Cause you know, I disapprove of making out if he's a smoker, but it's fine if you only suck his d-"

"Lance!" Keith scolded, visibly trying way too hard not to laugh. That encouraged Lance further.

"It's not like I would get lung cancer from having my tongue in his mouth anyways"Keith frowned.

"That's what he wants you to think" Lance lifted his eyebrows like Keith did when talking about his conspiracy theories.

"Oh, I see" Keith caught on and rubbed his chin. "So my hypothetical date is trying to kill me then"

Lance mirrored the mysterious look and twirled an invisible beard.

"That's why I don't like him, because he's trying to take away my only pathway to visiting Allura at work." He said.

Keith shoved his shoulder.

"Allura? The real gem is right in front of you, you ignorant fool"

Lance threw his head back in exaggerated laughter. Keith proceeded to shove and kick him further until he fell off the couch. Lance grinned and probed his chin on the handstand.

"For real though" He murmured. "Is it Shiro?"

Keith's face twisted into a disgusted expression. He looked at Lance as if he was the sun, with pinched eyes and a frown of displeasure. He looked almost as if he was seconds away from covering his eyes with a hand.

"Lance, that- would literally be incest" He deadpanned.

Lance exhaled. "I had to know man, you can't be sure of anything these days"

Keith's mouth went slack and face shifted into an unimpressed expression.

"I hate you" He grumbled. "So much"

Lance climbed back on the couch and placed his legs in Keith's lap.

"Then tell me"

He whined dragging out the last syllable. Keith dragged a hand over his face.

"Fine, if it'll make you shut up"

Lance nodded excitedly.

"But you better not freak out on me" Lance raised an unimpressed eyebrow. How bad could it be?

Sure, he'd cry himself to sleep whoever it was, but Keith was making too much of a deal out of this. It wasn't the first time he'd be dating someone Lance despised. Keith had a thing for the bad boys. The ones who wore leather and rode motorcycles like his own.

He liked the guys who tried to treat him like shit, but quickly realized he was too good for them. So he could leave them whenever he got too tired to give them attention. Guys with tattoos, piercings, weed and unstable income. And well, Lance was nothing like that. Lance could safely say he was the opposite of Keith's type, so yeah. But, how bad could it be?

"It's Lotor"

Holy fucking shit.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lotor?" Lance asked from where he sat on the couch, legs still in Keith's lap. Now frozen up, he stared at his roommate in disbelief.

Keith studied his face wearily. He took his time to answer, building up the unnecessary suspense. Lance was caught between gaping openly and pressing his lips together.  
"Yes," Keith finally said, no evidence of emotion on his face.

"Oh fuck me gently with a chainsaw" Lance spat out in a half laughter.  
" _Lance_ "

"You mean the Lotor you called a fake bitch like two days ago?" Lance frowned.  
"Yes..." Keith turned his face away from Lance, staring into the depth of their living room. Lance withdrew his legs and leaned forward, trying to catch the boy's attention. He snapped his fingers a couple of times in front of Keith's face.  
"The same Lotor who told you you had a nice ass during your first week at work?" Lance's accusing voice rose up an octave. His arm was leaning next to where Keith's head was leaning back in the cushion.  
"Lance please" Keith warned again, tilting his head in a subtle attempt to come off as intimidating. Lance didn't catch on.

"I'm sorry" He laughed bitterly. "I didn't realize we were talking about the same asshole manager Lotor who's been making your job a living hell"

Keith snapped. He turned his whole body towards Lance now, a flame glittering in his eyes.  
"You said you wouldn't freak out about this" He growled, pressing his lips into a thin line. Clearly, on the verge of some kind of eruption.

Lance furrowed his brows and stood up from the couch throwing his hand's in the air. It was a contrast from how close they had sat on the couch.  
"I just assumed I could count him as an exception! Why are you even- Is this a prank or something? He's like, the biggest dick I've ever come across"

Keith threw his head back and groaned.  
"Maybe I just saw something in him"

Lance huffed harshly and shook his head at the comment. It was the last thing Lance would expect to hear from Keith. So many questions swirled in his mind, but right now, he was too caught up in the fight to sit down and calmly discuss this.  
"No, fuck you!" Lance shot back "Saw what? His ego?  The over-conditioned hair? This prick isn't good for you" He yelled.

"How do you know what's good for me?!" Keith yelled in frustration from where he sat on the couch.

The words "It's my opinion" raged in the back of his head. Lance had to physically restrain himself from pointing out the meme reference which Keith so obliviously had thrown at him. Another time, he told himself. Another time.

"Just-" Keith pinched his forehead. "I'm going out with him and you don't have a say in it" He argued.  
 Lance was just about to protest but deflated instead. Keith was right. He couldn't just decide for him who he could and could not date. Sagging his shoulders, Lance slumped back on the couch and sighed.  
"Right," he said. "Sorry"  
He felt a nudge on his shoulder and turned his head to face Keith.

"I know what I'm doing" He assured, much more softly than he had only seconds ago. The flame which had been burning in his eyes was replaced by a distant warmth Lance personally liked to call  _you fucked up Lance, but I forgive you, shithead._  
Lance forced a pathetic attempt of a smile on his face and nodded. It most definitely didn't do anything to trick Keith into believing Lance was okay with the whole thing, but he wasn't trying to give away that impression either.  
Keith simply cocked his head and retired to his neutral brooding expression, looking out their window in silence. Lance didn't say anything either, having forgotten his breakfast and morning routine, he let his thought wander.

It was only a date after all. Not a long-term relationship with full commitment and mutual support. That wasn't Keith's thing after all. Lotor would probably take him to a shitty bar, buy him a cheap beer and try to hook up by the end of the night. To that, Keith would most probably respond by punching his teeth out and returning home pissed, searching for comfort in Lance's very much willing and open arms.  
So in the end, this would turn out great to Lance's benefit. Nothing to worry about.  

Except there was, in fact, much to worry about.

 

  
Lance sat alone in his dark apartment. The TV was on in the living room, but he knew very well it was only there to accompany him as background noise while he stressed his guts out. No matter how many times he had told himself he wasn't affected by Keith's date, he couldn't deny that he was simply looking for distractions.

He hated the tension their fight had left between them. Their meaningless bickering gave Lance life, but serious arguments that went unsolved for longer periods of time were unsettling.

It was like wearing wet socks inside expensive shoes.  
It felt so _wrong_.

What was wrong with him? Keith had gone on dozens of dates in their past. Surprisingly, Lance wasn't the only one to fall head over heels for the brooding emo bad boy type. Keith was rather popular among guys (and girls, but that's irrelevant).  
   
In the back of his head, he knew the reason. The universe's timing was terrible, truly. It had to strike just when he had gotten his heart broken. Like a mocking laugh, spitting him in the face. Of course Keith had to go out today, after the recent months of him weirdly refusing to go out with anyone. Why couldn't he find somebody while Lance's mental situation was somewhat stable?

He bit his lip nervously, a vague taste of blood not going unnoticed by his tongue. God, he was such a bad fucking person. Wishing for his best friend's date to terribly.  
And after Keith had told him that he loved him.

He should be happy. Any other good friend would have been happy for Keith, wouldn't they? Well, to be fair, Lotor wasn't a reason to get joyful over, but it was Keith's choice and Lance  _didn't have a say in it._

It was getting late. The night having taken the city off to sound sleep. Except for Lance of course. Lance couldn't sleep before he knew Keith was home, safe. Who knew what Lotor could have come up with? He was a weird guy, almost dangerous.

But Lance could give them time. He didn't have to be an annoying mom nagging on her children to come home before curfew. Keith was an adult. He could manage himself. But fuck, how Lance wanted to be protective of HIS Keith right now.

However, Lance could manage to let go of this one night. Lend Keith to somebody else. Lend his best friend away for a few hours. Lance was good at lending things, letting things go. He had to, having grown up in a big family with lots of small children. It was a family quirk, almost. being good at letting things go.

He thought about that for a while. How many things had he let go of in his life?

The sound of a door being clumsily opened made it's way through the apartment. Lance's head snapped up with a discouraging thought filling his head.  
Fuck, what if Keith thought it was weird of Lance to stay up late in order to wait for him? That thought hadn't occurred to him before now.

Quickly, he ran across the living room in the dark and threw his body onto the couch as quietly as he could. He shut his eyes, hearing footsteps coming closer to where he laid. The TV was still on, featuring an old movie Lance had heard of a few years ago, back when it was coming out in the theaters.  
The footsteps stopped somewhere near the couch.

"Unbelievable..." He heard a sigh. Suddenly the noise from their flatscreen stopped abruptly, assumingly being turned off by Lance's roommate. He didn't get a chance to guess where Keith was currently standing before a warm fabric was wrapped around him. A hand wiped some bangs away from his forehead.  
"You sleep well, dumbass" Keith's voice whispered fondly.  
It lifted a small amount of the endless pressure off of Lance's shoulders.  
He then walked away, sounding like he had gone in the direction of his own room.

Lance wanted to ask questions. Wanted to know how the date had gone, more than he should have wanted. But he could only accept the fact that Keith had gone off to sleep and he was now forced to sleep on the couch like the coward he was.  
Snuggling deeper into the blanket, Lance swallowed his feelings and imagined the warm embrace of his màma until he fell asleep.

 

  
He overslept. Because of course he did.

The Monday sun had already risen when he realized he had forgotten to turn his alarm on. Jumping out of the couch he heard a couple of concerning popping sounds in his back.  
The couch wasn't the ideal place to sleep. He took a quick look at the time. He was already thirty minutes late.

Well, shit.

He knew from routine that Keith had already gone off to work an hour earlier, so no motorcycle ride. His last hope was, unfortunately, the public bus. 

As he quickly washed his face, fixed his hair and put on some decent, unwrinkled clothes, he texted Hunk, saying he'd be late.

 

BabyBoi: Yeah, no secret there, buddy.  
BabyBoi: Iverson's eye is twitching again so you better hurry.

 

Lance worked in a restaurant. He loved his job. Being a waiter gave him enough social interaction in order to stay sane, and Hunk had been his best buddy ever since day one. Although Hunk worked in the kitchen, they had plenty of time to chat, talk shit about the customers and other co-workers and swoon over Keith (Though the latter was an activity mostly Lance engaged in). It was great, assuming that Lance wouldn't be late.

He caught the first bus coming by, thanks to his shortcut through the neighbor's garden. His shoes got slightly damp due to the wet grass, but he could handle it.  
He was pretty sure the lady sitting next to him was seconds away from snapping, considering his leg was shaking like crazy. She was trapped between the window on one side and an annoying, overhyped, Cuban guy on the other.  He leaned his head back and tried closing his eyes.

He wondered if Keith's date had gone well. A nasty feeling rose in his stomach. He imagined Lotor catching him by surprise in the back of their breakroom and pressing kisses to his neck while Keith giggled and pushed him away playfully. He bit his lip.  
What if they were flirting with each other every time nobody was watching, or sending seductive looks when passing by the other.  
Oh God, what if they were doing it now.

A small nudge against his shoulder woke lance up from his stressed mind. The lady next to him smiled inconvenienced and nodded to the exit door.

"It's my stop," She said shyly.

Lance furrowed his brows in confusion before realizing what she meant. He withdrew his legs, letting her pass by with a silent "sorry" barely escaping his lips. He looked out the window like the hero in a dramatic movie. He had to get his shit together.

Soon, his own bus stop appeared and Lance sprinted to the low-class restaurant where he worked, also known as **Iverson's meatballs**  
Yes, that was the name of it. None of the employees who wished to live had dared to point out the concerning subtext out loud, but Lance suspected the critique wouldn't get through Iverson's head anyway.  
Still, Lance loved this fucking mess of a job.

He slipped into the back kitchen to greet Hunk with a smack on the butt before hanging up his jacket and putting his working-clothes on.  
"You're in big trouble, bad boy" Hunk shivered handing Lance a plate of pasta from the kid's menu. "Table 6"

"I'm actually shitting my pants at this very moment" Lance grimaced and went off into the dining area with the dish in one of his hands and silverware in the other. De did not, however, make it through half of the room before an angry voice made him question if the line had really been a joke.  
" _McClain_ " Came the roar of an angry rhino, Lance occasionally referred to as "his boss".

He pretended not to hear the threatening sound, even though his constant craving for attention provided him with the ability to hear his own name being said from miles away. He also ignored the next two shouts before concluding that he would have to face his consequences soon.

"I would love to chit chat Sir Mr. boss, but unfortunately, I have a spaghetti bolognese to serve" Lance twirled around only to be met by Iverson's red face.

The man towered intimidatingly over Lance, gritting his teeth with one twitching eye. Almost as if he lived in an old classic movie, Lance was very sure that nobody knew how Iverson had ended up with just one eye. And like in every classic movie, there were rumors about the gruesomest street fights and murder cases that might have led to the black eyepatch covering his eyeball.

" _you imbec_ -"  
"Sir, could I pay my bill now?" A customer from a distant table spoke up, waking Sendak from his fury.

"Yes of course!" Lance lit up as realistically as he managed and slipped away from his bosses grasp. He didn't look back and ignored the feeling of daggers being shot in the back of his head.

Somehow, the day wasn't a complete disaster. Lance even managed to avoid the conversation with Iverson completely, which was fucking great.  
At the end of his shift, he sat on the kitchen counter and ate cooked vegetables from Hunk's pan.

"No ass on the table" Hunk whipped at him with a wet cloth. It made Lance yelp and jump off of the board with tangled legs. It was clumsy, especially with half-jewed broccoli spilling out of his mouth.

"Mmpf!" Lance huffed and frowned at his bigger friend. "Ou' Lovff my'ass"

"Why are you here anyway?"  Hunk raised an eyebrow and organized the vegetables Lance had messed up with a fork. "Unless you wanna explain yourself to Iverson, I see no reason for you to bug me after work"

Lance placed a hand on his heart and leaned back. "Your fondness for me is flattering" He pouted.

When Hunk raised his unimpressed eyebrows, Lance huffed and let his shoulders fall in defeat.  
"M' nervous bout seeing Keith.... after we fought yesterday" Me mumbled quietly.

Hunk's expression melted at that. Lance basked in the pity as Hunk eyed him with empathy. "You guys fought?"

Lance shrugged, trying to get rid of the worrying eyes. "Like always"

"Was it bad?"

Lance looked at the floor. "I don't think he's mad at me, but I just- I don't know"  
Hunk smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Lance liked how big it was. If he tried to shrug it off, Hunk didn't have to let go. He could keep Lance in place with just one arm, but he wouldn't.  
If Lance wanted his space, Hunk would let go. And Lance liked that.

"Communication has always been an issue between the two of you" He smiled. Lance crossed his arms angrily. "Not true"

Hunk Laughed. "If it wasn't true, you'd be married by now"  
Lance rolled his eyes and stepped back. Hunk's hand fell, and he put his own on his hip instead. Lance put his hands up defensively.  
"You know, going home suddenly doesn't sound like such a bad idea after all"

To that, Hunk cracked up with loud laughter. "Okay buddy, but you better talk to him about this"  
Lance fakely grinned and backed away with a salute.

 

 

He dried his shoes off on the Mothman doormat and swung the door open with his usual line: "Honey, I'm home"  
Already as he stepped into the apartment, a delicious smell filled his nostrils and carried him off to the kitchen. There, Keith stood mashing potatoes with his hair in a high ponytail. Upon hearing Lance, he blew a bang away from his eyes and smiled wryly.

Lance stood astonished, watching Keith with awe as he worked with his hand in the big bowl. "Are you cooking something?"

Keith looked across the table where a salad and well-done steak stood readily. He then faced Lance and smiled again.  
"I'm in a good mood today" He shrugged. "And Shiro is coming over to get some stuff so I want it to look like I have shit under control"

Without breaking eye contact, Lance furrowed his brows and got himself a chair. "I see" He muttered.

Keith cooking was a rare sight. He hated making food, not because he wasn't good at it, but because it was time consuming, and he didn't see the point in it when takeaway was just behind the corner.

"How was work today?" Lance asked.

Keith shrugged once again. "Not ideal -I still hate it- but bearable"

Lance didn't like what he heard. he smiled either way.  
"So... Lotor huh?"

Keith scoffed. "You're not being sneaky about it" He stated.  
"Lotor wasn't at work today, but our date went well, for your information"

Lance nodded eagerly. Too eagerly, he noticed.  
"Cool, cool-coolcool" He stuttered out rashly while nodding aggressively like an idiot. Thousands upon thousands of years of evolution, and the superior human race still produced social failures like him.  
Keith ignored it.

"I was surprised actually" He scratched his ear with his shoulder. "We went to a pretty fancy restaurant, the prices were out of the roof. I've never seen so many numbers in my whole life" He lifted his eyebrows. "Water cost more than I get paid"

Lance laughed despite himself.  
"Well, fortunately, you're back to eating fast food and dry bread."

Keith smirked. "Not today"  
He placed the bowl of potatoes on the table and tightened his ponytail.

Lance grinned. "Today we feast like kings" He declared with a triumph and bumped their hips.

 

Upon closer inspection, the "well-done steak" was actually burned, and the salad contained too much dressing for it to be eatable. And so, they didn't feast like kings, but broke students instead.

"I love it when you give me false hope" Lance grimaced, cutting a particularly ashy part of his steak. "Keeping the romance alive"

"Oh shut up" Keith grumbled. "When's the last time  _you_ made dinner?"

"Somebody has forgotten my Honey-garlic shrimp stovetop rice casserole" Lance scoffed offendedly with his nose in the air. 

"You  _burned_ the rice" Keith growled.

"And you burned this meat, but you don't see me complaining-"

Keith slammed his fists against the table. "Yes. I. Do" He leaned his furious face closer to Lance who smirked in return.  
"Oh yeah?" He put his fork aside and leaned in as well.

This was familiar. This was normal. This was so much  _better_ than their earlier fight. He could do this for hours without worrying if he had taken it too far. Because he most definitely would, but Keith would be right there with him, crossing all kinds of lines, punching below the belt.

And if they were back to bickering, Lance could ignore Hunk's nagging voice in the back of his head, telling him to talk seriously for once instead of turning every uncomfortable situation into a childish fight.

"I will turn this fucking car around" Keith threatened.

"With what? Your tiny baby hands?" Lance scoffed quirking his eyebrow.

"They are capable of more than your dick" Keith bit back.

"At least my dick is bigger than you as a person, shortie"

In the split of a second Keith stood up from his chair, shoving it violently back and dived for Lance. In a state of shock, he tumbled off his own seat and ran around the table, leaping to the couch. Cushions flew everywhere when he rolled to the other side, avoiding Keith's grabby hands trying to reach his neck.  
Some part of Lance's conscience was actively judging him at that moment, but he gave it a big fuck you and continued the childish behavior.

Inevitably, the smaller boy got a hold of him, and they were soon rolling around on the floor, scoffing, grunting and groaning. Lance hadn't even noticed he was smiling before Keith grabbed his face, mashing his cheeks together. He himself was laughing hysterically where he sat on top of Lance.  
"Eat dirt" He grinned.

Lance didn't let him have this though. He tangled his free leg around Keith's limbs and turned them to the side with a grunt. He hit his head in the process, but wiped the smile off of Keith's face.  
   
"Fuck you" He spat and twisted Lance's elbow painfully.  
"Ow, ow, ow!" Lance whined, trying to untangle heir legs in order to kick the stupid gremlin.  
"You punch like a little bitch" He shrieked.

A disappointed sigh sounded behind them, making them freeze. A cold chill ran down Lance's spine as he turned around to face Keith's brother.

"Is it possible to have abortions on 23 year old babies yet?" Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat.

"Hello to you too, fuckface"  
"Language, Keith"  
"It's called English, Shiro" Keith crawled up from under Lance who shared a smirk with him.

"Whatever, I don't even want to know what this -" He waved his hand in their direction. "-is"

"Oh, we're playing twister" Lance smiled innocently.

Shiro put his hands on his hips like a middleaged mom and frowned. "I just came to get my charger back"

"Right" Keith yelped and got to his feet.  
Lance quickly realized that his position on the floor was no longer as comfortable as it had been when he wasn't the only one in it. And so he brushed invisible dust off his pants and got to his feet.

"For once I hoped to visit you without worrying your mental age might be ten years behind the physical one" Shiro deadpanned.

"Ooh, sick burn, Shiro" Lance held up his hand to a high-five, but Shiro left him hanging.  
"This applies to both of you," He said unimpressed. "But thanks for appreciating the joke"

While Keith was fussing around, trying to find Shiro's missing phone charger, Lance leaned over their dinner table.  
"So... How're things going with Adam?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Shiro exhaled, lifted a chair they had managed to knock down while fighting, and sat down. "He keeps complaining that I'm buying the wrong toilet paper, but that's how it is when you're married"

"Can't relate" Lance shrugged. "My chances of finding a date are as low as Keith's lactose tolerance" He cried.

At the sound of Lance dissing his brother, Shiro chuckled and shook his head. "You boys are impossible"

" _Keith_ on the other hand..."Lance began, but Keith marched into the room with the white charger in his hand, shaking his head violently.

"Nope, no thanks- Fancy having you over _Shiro_ , but I would appreciate it if you left now" He began pushing Shiro out of the room. Shiro, on the other hand, threw his head back in laughter and resisted.  
It was comical watching them. The small Keith trying to move a much bigger and buffer Shiro who wouldn't budge.

"I can't believe you're throwing your own brother out" Shiro gasped turning his face to Lance.  
"Lance would never disrespect me like that"

"Wouldn't dream of it" Lance replied, cupping his own face in his hands while leaning on the table.

Keith grumbled and tried pushing harder, which resulted in his socks sliding across the floor rapidly. Lance nodded in agreement.

"Okay, okay" Shiro laughed after Keith had struggled for a while. "But play nice"  
He let the younger boy push him across the room. He was halfway out the door when Keith muttered "I don't know what you're talking 'bout"  
Shiro only smirked and Keith violently shut the door.

"I got rid of the pest" He exhaled, making Lance smile subconsciously.

"Wanna order pizza?" Lance suggested while shoving the full plates across the table.  
"God, yes" Keith sighed sliding down the door.

And they were back to normal. Everything was like before.

As if the night in the park didn't happen.  
As if Lance's heart hadn't gotten broken.  
As if Lotor hadn't interfered at all.  
As if they hadn't yelled at eachother for real, for the first time in months, because of him.  
As if Lance could live with this everlasting agony, choking on his own feelings more and more every day.  
As if the feeling that Keith was getting tired of him wasn't real.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter done! Tell me if you hate it, I love feeling dead inside :)


	3. Holy shitballs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah sorry for the long wait I was being lazy :)  
> Anyway, here's another garbage chapter!

Keith had no idea what he was doing.  
Work was hell with Lotor hanging around him constantly. If the never present manager hadn't been a bother before, he sure was now. Keith didn't know what he was thinking, agreeing to go on that stupid date.

Lotor was disgusting. Keith had now suffered two whole years of his bullshit as his coworker. Now what? They definitely weren't boyfriends, but this thing between them was dangerously close to it.

It began with the messages. Lotor wasn't one to give up easily, and it showed. He started texting him about possible dinners or walks in the park. A constant stream of unreplied "How are you"'s and "Coffee?"'s piled up on his phone for weeks.

Keith was well aware they weren't only meant for him, and even suspected they were automatic messages sent to all his prays. Although he had asked Allura about it one day, surprised to find she hadn't received any.  
He had no intention to answer. Lotor was a two-faced snake. If he wanted Keith to go out with him maybe he could start by not giving him all the dirty work.

But then the Lance incident happened.

Lately, things had been going very well. "Very well" wasn't a good state for Keith. It meant he would get delusional and begin seeing things that weren't there. Like the slight blush covering Lance's cheeks when they were drunkenly whispering under the open October sky.  
Like the way he leaned into Keith with his pupils blown wide and lips trembling.

And unfortunately not like the fear and disgust in Lance's eyes when Keith had finally found the courage to confess.

That was real.

So he did the only thing he knew how to do when everything went to shit. He fucked it up even further. If he couldn't have Lance (which was fine. It wasn't Lance's fault he didn't want to fuck his best friend) then he had to move on. And the only open slot right now was Lotor. His desperate plan B.

So even though he was suffering from the remaining symptoms of his cold, Keith sucked it up and went on that damn date.

He had carefully told Lance about it. Testing his reaction and studying the various emotions flashing over his face as Keith declared he had plans for the day. To his dissatisfaction, Lance seemed delighted. The way his eyes lit up with excitement as he led Keith to their living room just to hear all the details.  
Keith felt a little guilty, but the way Lance grew from enthusiastic to furious after learning who the date was, delighted him notably. It'd be a lie if he denied riling Lance up a bit with the lines about seeing something in Lotor.

Being completely honest, the date itself wasn't too bad. Just the fact that Lotor was there.  
 They went to a fancy restaurant. It kind of scared Keith, who had only ever eaten at cheap pizza places for dates. He and Lance always ordered fast food and ate it in their apartment, unless they felt fancy enough to go out.  
Shiro and he used to eat ramen or sushi when younger, the cheep ones.

So this was a change, and Keith didn't know what to make out of it. Of course, all their conversations were about Lotor and his issues, but the sentiment was nice.

"You seem to reflect me so deeply, Keith. I feel like myself around you" Lotor said once during the night, and that was the only part of his long dialogue Keith actually had paid attention to.

"Oh... umh, yeah" He nodded and took a bite of the amazingly tasting steak.  
Holy shitballs, Lance should have tried this. He was the biggest fan of well made and spicy food. Maybe Keith could find a similar recipe and make some for him at home, cause missing this was seriously a sin.  
He smacked himself mentally for letting his thoughts wander like that. What's the point of going on a date to get over someone if all you do is think about them?

"Having someone listen is one thing, but actually understanding is rare" Lotor leaned over the table with a seductive smirk.

Too bad Keith couldn't provide any of those things.

Looking at the way Lotor's finger circled the outline of his wineglass, something in the back of his head told Keith that that pickup-line had left his lips more times than he could count.  
He felt something nudge his ankle under the table. It didn't take a genius to know it was Lotor's foot, playfully sliding up his leg. Keith swallowed hard and took a second to breathe. This was going to be a long night.

He returned home later than expected. He was careful not to make too much noise when kicking off his shoes. He slid his jacket off and hung it up neatly in the dark hallway. Lance was probably watching a new episode of some soap opera by now, judging by the sound coming from their living room.  
When he stepped into the room however, Lance was sleeping soundly on the couch, TV still on. Keith didn't even bother to see what it was before turning it off. He stood like a lamppost, staring unblinkingly down at the sleeping boy in front of him. Lance's eyelashes always seemed longer when his eyes were closed. He could barely make out the edges of his face, but the eyelashes were as vibrant as ever.

Still, Keith had caught Lance falling asleep on the couch one too many times already. He knew very well he'd be complaining about his back in the morning.  
"Unbelievable..." he sighed with a frown. He'd just have to carry the idiot to his room then.

It took Keith far more restraining than he'd like to admit before he pulled away like burned. He couldn't cradle Lance now. Not now. Not when he was supposed to be moving on. He spared one last glance at him before tucking him into a blanket instead.  
He frowned looking at the sleeping figure for a few more seconds before exhaling. He couldn't help but smile when Lance's nose scrunched up as he buried his face deeper into the fluffy fabric.

Keith knelt down and wiped away some of the bangs that had gotten in his face, biting his lip.  
"You sleep well, dumbass" He murmured softly before leaving.

He dreamt about tan skin and freckles that night, though he couldn't comprehend what the calming presence was before waking up.

 

  
The next week at work was most likely the most unsettling one this far. The rumor that Keith was dating the manager spread faster that hookworm infections that one time it turned out nobody was cleaning the bathroom stalls for a whole month.  
Allura and Pidge avoided the topic when around him, but he knew they were gossiping about it with Hunk. It wasn't as if he'd have any consequences yet. There weren't any rules about dating specifically.  _Not_ that he was dating Lotor. It was just a weird fling. They hadn't even hooked up (and were  _not_ going to).

Lotor, as usual, barely showed up at all. If he wasn't in his office, he could be found tormenting other co-workers or looking through his instagram feed.  
Although now, he would occasionally wink or smile at Keith, which was unusual. He didn't get all the shitty jobs eighter. No more cleaning up after messy customers or dealing with pissed Christian moms in their thirties who "Could ruin his career".  
He and Lotor once had coffee after work, and it was bearable. When he set his mind to it, Lotor really was a gentleman. It was safe to say there was something strange going on between them, but Keith didn't know if he wanted to figure it out.  
Halloween was in a week though, and he could focus on Matt's party instead. Pidges brother Matt, and Shiro we're both four years older than Keith. They had been best friends ever since college and used to throw big parties together all the time. Shiro had gotten married and was settling down though, but Matt didn't slow down and only got wilder every year.  
   
Keith had actually met Pidge through those two. They bonded over nagging their older siblings and sharing embarrassing stories about them. Eventually, Keith was in desperate need of a job, having to pay his rent. Though Lance tried to convince him it was completely fine to take his time, Keith hated forcing Lance to pay for the both of them. Pidge got him a position at Walmart as her colleague and the rest was just history.

That's where they met Allura, and soon formed a little friend gang. Keith didn't really like his other co-workers, or people in general, but the two girls managed to win him over.

Keith snuck up behind Allura while she was busy placing products on display. He wordlessly grabbed a few boxes from her hands and helped putting them in their places.

"Oh Gosh, Keith. Thank you" She gasped startled.

He nodded in response. "Lance was wondering if you're finished with the costumes"  
Allura snickered lowly. "Sure am, just adding some finishing touches. You and Lance can get them from my apartment today."

Keith sighed painfully at the thought of their specially made halloween costumes.  
"Again, thanks for doing this, but I remind you it was all Lance's idea" He angrily (and maybe a tad too harshly) slammed a jar on the shelf.

Allura huffed amused. "Careful there, I might just think you look forward to it"  
"Oooh I so am not" He frowned trying to distract Allura from the way his body tensed for just a millisecond. Allura sent him an unimpressed look.

"Really now? Dressing up in silly costumes with your boyfriend doesn't make your heart skip? Be real with yourself Keith"

Keith's frown deepened.  
"Not my boyfriend" He mumbled grumpily.  
 But he knew very well that halloween was one of his favorite holidays. He never celebrated anything before Lance. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and other celebrations weren't a big deal in his family. Both Shiro and he were adopted, and their adoptive parents weren't religious. They still got presents for Christmas and used to go egg hunting for easter, but that was about it.

It wasn't until Lance barged into his life with loud rituals and weird traditions that Keith got into anything. It was crazy to him how Lance could change a person. Suddenly specific days began having significance to him. Suddenly he couldn't help but smile at the thought of his upcoming birthday, or how notional spaghetti day was just around the corner.  
Things he never cared for before had great value to him now.

So just like that, Halloween became their "who can humiliate the other more" day. It started with cheap costumes from eBay and ended up with professionally made suits from Allura, who just so happened to make clothes by hand.

His phone rang to the tune of "I'm blue (da ba dee)" and Keith picked it up from his pocket. The screen lit with and a blurry picture of Lance drunkenly pole dancing on a lamppost in the middle of the night.

Allura scoffed nodding in the direction of his contact name.  
"I see how it is" She smirked at the thousand heart emojis behind Lance's name.

"He added those himself" Keith smacked her away with a frown, before picking up.

"Babyyy!" Lance screeched loudly, making Keith wince and pull the phone away to spare his hearing. Keith didn't need to look at Allura to feel the grin spreading across her face.  
"We're out of Cheetos" He complained.

Keith scoffed slipping between two empty aisles. He wasn't supposed to be seen on his phone after all.   
"Impossible. I bought a shitton of them like three days ago"  
"I'm a growing boy, Keith. I need nutrition"  
"And you'll get a lot of that from Cheetos I bet"  
He heard noise from the other side of the line. Like Lance was moving things around or had dropped his phone (which wasn't uncommon).

"Look, are you in or not?" His voice dropped to appear more threatening. Keith rolled his eyes.  
"Who do you take me for? A vegan?" He snorted.

A relieved sigh sounded from Lance's line.  
"Good. We're watching desperate housewives tonight" He declared before hanging up. Keith didn't even have time to tell him about Allura and the costumes before the conversation was over. He doubted Lance would be disappointed though. They had all the 8 seasons downloaded already and Lance was really looking forward to trying their halloween costumes.

"You better bring him along with you" Allura's head popped up from the shelf, having moved over layers of tomato sauce jars to fit her head in. As expected, she had been eavesdropping again.  
"I'm not letting you into my house until I hear he's with you"

"Yeah, sure, whatever" Keith waved his hand and slid the phone back into his back pocket. "He wouldn't miss this even if his sister went into labor at the same time"

 

 

  
Keith and Lance were standing in front of Alluras door. The motorbike ride to the apartment across town had been a real pain with Lance's constant stream of words. Once Keith announced they could get the outfits, Lance had leaped off the couch and dragged Keith to the garage.  
None of them owned a car, but Keith had been riding bikes since before high school, and gotten through many two-wheeled vehicles. He now had his own red motorcycle. His girl was a slightly older model, but Lance was utterly in love with her (Keith too, of course). Keith had gotten as far as buying Lance his own blue helmed with cat ears on. He refused to be seen with a matching one though, much to the taller boy's displeasure.

Whenever they went anywhere, the bike was with them. Keith could still remember how Lance's parents had disapproved at first. It seemed like decades ago since he heard them saying bikes were dangerous and the boys would hurt themselves. Lance's family was a bit conservative and constantly warned them about how often bike accidents ended in fatal injuries.  
That didn't stop Keith from riding up to Lance's family home at night, helping him sneak out, and riding through abandoned roads together.  
Lance loved the rides. He gave up on holding tight onto Keith (great loss) when he felt comfortable enough to stretch his arms out. He would scream about being free and sexy. Keith just laughed and usually sped up, causing Lance to yelp and latch onto him.

Now though, they were more responsible. No dangerous speeds in the city. They did have leather jackets and sunglasses though, just cause Lance was extra like that.

Standing in front of Allura's door with the red jacket on, Keith watched Lance excitingly press the doorbell over and over again as quickly as he could.  
"She won't last long like this" He grinned and pushed it faster.  
"Bet she's already jumped out of the window, to be honest," Keith crossed his arms eyeing Lance.

Finally, the door slammed open with an irritated Allura standing in front of them.  
"I was in the bathroom" She hissed at Lance who still had his finger on the doorbell.  
"Yes-yes, show us the beauties" He pushed past her and slipped into the apartment like it was his own. Keith offered Allura an apologetic look before following Lance in. Soon, Allura led them into her workshop and uncovered the costumes hidden under fabric.

Lance gasped in delight throwing himself at Allura. "Oh my God, it's perfect!" She beamed at him with her hands on her hips, proud of her work.

But all Keith could do was stare in horror. A large, red teletubbie suit stood in front of him like a rock. The shape was round and massive, looking almost identical to the original Teletubbies. The head was currently detached from its body and it had an oval hole in the middle for the purpose of face space. Keith could only imagine himself in the suit with his face sticking out of the blood-red ball.  
To its right, stood a different costume. Keith recognized the character as Nono the vacuum cleaner. It was blue, like Lance's favorite color. The body was a cylinder with big googly eyes at the front. It had a long trunk and a broomstick head as a detachable hat.

"I can't decide whether I hate you, Allura or myself more" Keith announced.

 


End file.
